Portugal’s piracy problem is reaching “alarming” levels, with an estimated 288,000 households illegally accessing digital and audiovisual services monthly. The claim comes from Pedro Mota Soares, the general secretary of Apritel, the Portuguese association of electronic communications operators.

Speaking to the Lusa news agency, he highlighted that young people are particularly affected, with Portugal having the fourth-highest rate of piracy among 15-24 year-olds in the EU (35 per cent).

Apritel is urging the government to implement stronger anti-piracy measures, including consumer warnings and penalties, similar to systems already in place in several other European countries including Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Denmark and Italy.

The organisation explained that piracy not only harms the economy – due to the potential loss of  €250 million – and the job market, but also threatens consumers’ cybersecurity, as accessing illegal websites significantly increases the risk of malware infection.

Apritel emphasised the need for government oversight and control of these measures to protect the creative industries, journalism, and the Portuguese economy as a whole.

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, Piracy, Research

Tags: Apritel, piracy, portugal